Attila (Civ5)
Attila the Hun (406 AD – 453 AD) was the great king of the Hunnic Empire. In-Game Attila is the leader of the Huns in Civilization V: Gods & Kings. He speaks modern Chuvash, which is used because it is the only surviving language of the Oghur branch of the Turkic language, to which the Hunnic language is believed to have belonged. Attila is seen sitting on his throne in his headquarters. Capital: Attila's Court Unique Units: Battering Ram, Horse Archer Unique Ability: Scourge of God Voice Actor: Vitali AI Traits Personality and Behavior Given his exceptional boldness and hostility, Attila is undoubtedly the most aggressive leader in the game. He will always go for a domination victory over others, and will declare war on every civilization and city-state he meets all the time (even among his fellow warmongers). Don't try to befriend him, because even if you do, he will backstab you anyway. Attila will include many mounted and ranged units in his offensive army, which will be one of the best in the game. However, he fares poorly in defensive combat, and his cities tend to be poorly developed with weak defenses. If he manages to capture one of your cities, expect him to raze it to the ground. Be extremely careful when facing Attila, as he is relentlessly aggressive in the early game and all too willing to declare war on anyone he meets (particularly the civilizations with severe early game disadvantages like India and Venice). Counter his invading army with lots of Spearmen, Pikemen, and Lancers should he initiate a war against you. Consequently, his warmongering behavior will most likely help you gain a lot of allies from many city-states and other civilizations (particularly those who hate warmongers) for better late-game dominance. Civilopedia Entry History Legendary warlord and greatest leader of the Hunnic Empire, Attila the Hun is remembered by history as the mastermind behind the unrelenting terror of Europe that were the Huns. Known to the Romans as "The Scourge of God," Attila united the tribal Huns and embarked on a series of fearsome military campaigns during the 5th century AD, continually antagonizing the Romans (among others) until his abrupt death in 453. The Legend of Attila Much of our knowledge of Attila comes from the histories of his many enemies, with most accounts being particularly unfavorable, no doubt contributing to his bloodthirsty reputation. The Huns under Attila often obliterated the cities they sacked, not only pillaging anything of value, but doing such irreconcilable damage to the settlements that they became uninhabitable. The Huns purportedly massacred the populations of these cities, subjecting any survivors to a future of slavery. The Sword of Attila, known as the "Sword of Mars" to the Romans, was the legendary weapon wielded by Attila that contributed to his renown as an invincible slayer of men. It was said that no man could look Attila directly in the eyes without flinching, his unflappable gaze proving too strong for even the most commanding of his rivals. These legends spread among the people in the absence of a carefully recorded history, which wouldn't become available until later in the 5th century. Early Life and Campaigns Little is known of the early life of Attila before the death of his uncle Rua, who had led a loose confederation of Hunnic tribes north of the Danube River on various short-lived military campaigns. Attila and his brother Bleda took control of the Huns, sharing a dual kingship following Rua's death in 434. Following in the footsteps of their uncle, the two kings initially launched attacks against the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) in hopes of generating a steady income of tribute. Unfortunately for both sides, the Romans often failed to keep their word, delivering little tribute and thus incurring swift and brutal reprisals from the Hunnic raiders. The saving grace for the Byzantines may have been Attila's western ambitions, where the Hunnic army occupied itself with fresh conflicts. Movement Against Rome The mysterious death of his brother Bleda in 445, some say by Attila's own hand, left Attila as the sole leader of an increasingly unified Hunnic force. In 447, Attila once again led his army into battle against the legions of the Eastern Roman Empire at the Battle of Utus, successfully defeating the Roman force, leaving little remaining opposition. However, Attila's army suffered substantial casualties during the battle, which prevented him from seizing the Eastern Roman capital, Constantinople. Instead, Attila struck northward towards the Balkans (also Eastern Roman territory), sacking city after uncontested city, plundering everything his men could carry. After sweeping through the Eastern Roman Empire, Attila set his sights to the west. Moving swiftly across Europe, he launched successful attacks against the Visigoths throughout Gaul in 451-452. As the Hunnic horde marched onwards, many of the various tribal people they encountered joined Attila's force, some by choice, others compelled by intimidation. Regardless, the Huns were bolstered by these new recruits, and continued to pillage their way through the region until encountering a united Visigoth-Roman force on the fields of Gaul. At The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, Attila was turned back by the Roman-led force, the only major defeat in his lifetime, providing Rome and her allies a temporary reprieve. The Story of Honoria It is said that the sister of Roman Emperor Valentinian III, Honoria, who had secretly plotted to murder her timid brother and seize his throne, was exiled from Rome and sent to a convent in Constantinople. During this exile, Valentinian promised his sister's hand in marriage to an unknown Roman senator. Upon learning of her betrothal, Honoria attempted to contact Attila and gain his assistance in escaping the marriage. For reasons unknown, she sent Attila her engagement ring, which Attila interpreted as a marriage proposal. Claiming half of the Western Roman Empire as his dowry, Attila moved his force to invade Italy, despite Valentinian's insistence that the proposal was invalid. March on Italy After years of clashes with the Romans, Attila finally marched on their homeland of Italy in 452. After sacking a number of cities in the northern reaches, Attila received numerous envoys from Valentinian, including Pope Leo I, all of whom pleaded with Attila to leave Italy without pursuing Rome further. For reasons that are unclear, Attila obliged (most likely due to lack of supplies). Shortly thereafter in 453, Attila died mysteriously. Some scarce evidence suggests that it may have been a simple nosebleed that toppled the mighty Hun on the night of his wedding, while other equally questionable accounts suggest he may have been assassinated. The Roman historian Jordanes wrote that Attila's men cut their hair and slashed themselves with swords to honor Attila in death, stating "The greatest of all warriors should be mourned with no feminine lamentations and with no tears, but with the blood of men." Judgment of History Attila the Hun's enduring legacy as a notorious warlord and bloodthirsty conqueror will be recorded in the annals of history for all time. A resourceful and committed leader, Attila pushed his armies to the limit, but had the foresight never to drive them to the point of exhaustion or mutiny, a claim bolstered by the fact that he only lost one major battle in some twenty-odd years leading the Huns. Treading fearlessly into the territory of the Romans, Attila challenged their authority at every opportunity and succeeded in bringing great wealth and notoriety to his people. Trivia *Among the many theories and debates on the actual cause of Attila's death, the traditional lore tells the story of Attila getting drunk on the night of his wedding, and dying of a nosebleed in his sleep. Opposing theories include death by an esophageal hemorrhage or possibly murder at the hands of his new bride or assassins hired by his enemies. *Attila had at least 7 wives during his lifetime, his last wife being Hildico, a Germanic princess. His death occurred on the night of their wedding. *Attila will claim to be "the Scourge of Rome" when he is first encountered regardless of whether or not Rome is present in the game. Lines Attila's voice actor is not a native speaker of Chuvash, so his speech contains many grammatical errors, and even native speakers have a hard time understanding the exact lines. Attacked: Now what is this?! You ask me to add your riches to my great avails. The invitation is accepted. (Ku mĕn vara!? Esĕ manran hăvăn pujanlăha hamăn (manăn?) pysăk tupăšlăh﻿ şumne (?) hušma yjtan. Jyhrava jyšănnă.) Wrong words, wrong tone, missing sounds. Declares War: I'm getting bored of this throne (of mine). I have ??? to sit on YOUR throne instead. (Mana şakă tron jălăhtarma puşlarĕ. Un vyrănne manăn SAN tron şine laras ??? šuhăš pur.) Compare with the XML line "I grow tired of this throne. I think I should like to have yours instead." Defeated: My people will mourn me not with tears but with human blood. (Manăn halăh mana kuşşul' mar şyn junĕpe hujhărsa makărasšăn-i?) Wrong words, syntax, grammar and off-course pronunciation. And of course this isn't a question, so the question particle ''-i'' shouldn't be used. Hate Hello: What do you want? (Mĕn kirlĕ?) Hate Let's Hear It 01: Now what is this? (Ku mĕn-ha vara?) Hate Let's Hear It 02: So what? (Vara?) Hate Let's Hear It 03: Continue! (lit. "Forward do!") (Malalla tu!) The phrase in Chuvash sounds as bad as the literal translation in English. Hate No 01: Two possibilities: 1. It is not possible to accept. (Kăna jyšănma maj şuk.) 2. There's no way to take you in. (Sana jyšănma maj şuk.) Hate No 02: You are mad! (lit. "You turned into a fool!") (Esĕ uhmaha tuhnă!) [Note: The word uhmaha ("fool") is a loanword from Arabic (aḥmaḳ). It's actually the first word in Harun al-Rashid's and Ramesses' Attacked lines.] Hate No 03: Two possibilities: 1. Do you want to die? I'll see to it at once. (lit. "I'll take/lead you (to the next world) at once.") (Viles kilet-i? Hăvărt ăsatam.) 2. So, you want to die, don't you? (Viles kilet-i vara sanăn?) Hate Yes 01: Very well. Agreed. (Pitĕ lajăh. Kalaşsa tatăltămăr.) Hate Yes 02: Exactly! (Şapla!) Hate Yes 03: Very well. (Pitĕ lajăh.) Intro: You are now in front of Attila, the misfortunes of the city of Rome. (Esĕ halĕ Attila umĕnche, Rim hulin inkek-sinkekĕ.) This is a poor translation to Chuvash. The line after that - "Hăvăn mănkămăllăhna ükerme irĕk an par." - sounds completely foreign to Chuvash-speakers due to serious pronunciation mistakes. Various Chuvash-speakers heard one of the following: 1. Avan man kămăllăhn ukkerme irĕk an par. (Syntactically incorrect sentence; literally "Good my mood drop will(power) don't." Should have been either "Avan kămălna ukerme irĕk an par" ("Do it in such way that I won't ruin your good mood"), or "Man avan kămălămа űkerme irĕk pamastăp" ("I won't allow to ruin my good mood").) 2. Avan, man kămăllă hăna ük... ("Well, my lovely guest, fall..." It's possible that he says something like "kneel before me," but it is not clear.) Compare these with the XML line "You are in the presence of Attila, scourge of Rome. Do not let hubris be your downfall as well." Note that Attila was actually called "the Scourge of God," not "scourge of Rome." Neutral Hello: They received well. (Lajăh kĕtse julcĕş.) Maybe it's an attempt to translate "You are welcomed/We welcome you." Neutral Let's Hear It 01: Let's proceed as usual. (Jalanhi pekeh tu malalla.) Grammatically incorrect sentence. Neutral Let's Hear It 02: Continue. (Malalla tusa pyr.) Grammatically incorrect sentence. Neutral Let's Hear It 03: Do you agree, my friend? (Şapla-i, tusăm?) Neutral No 01: I must refuse. (lit. "I shouldn't agree to this.") (Manăn kunpa kilĕšmelle mar.) Neutral No 02: No. (Şuk.) Neutral No 03: Not now. (Halĕ mar.) Neutral Yes 01: Very well. (Pitĕ lajăh.) Neutral Yes 02: All is good. (Veşeh lajăh.) Neutral Yes 03: Agreed. (Kalaşsa tatălnă.) Peaceful: Sometimes you endure losses, however well you've tried at preparations. (Hăš cuhne şuhatu pulat', hut' te mĕnle tărăšsa﻿ hatĕrlensen te.) Request: Come here! There are lots of agreement papers to do. (Kil-ha! Kunta numaj kilĕšü hucĕsem tumalla.) Intro Your men stand proudly to greet you, Great Attila, grand warrior and ruler of the Hunnic empire. Together with your brother Bleda you expanded the boundaries of your empire, becoming the most powerful and frightening force of the 5th century. You bowed the Eastern Roman Emperors to your will and took kingdom after kingdom along the Danube and Nisava Rivers. As the sovereign ruler of the Huns, you marched your army across Europe into Gaul, planning to extend your already impressive lands all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Your untimely death led to the quick disintegration and downfall of your empire, but your name and deeds have created an everlasting legacy for your people. Fearsome General, your people call for the recreation of a new Hunnic Empire, one which will make the exploits and histories of the former seem like the faded dreaming of a dying sun. Will you answer their call to regain your rightful prominence and glory? Will mount your steadfast steed and lead your armies to victory? Will you build a civilization that stands the test of time? Gallery File:Concept Art of Attila (Civ5).jpg|Concept art of Attila by Tom Symonds File:226217~1.jpg|Attila, Scourge of God Category:Hunnic Category:Leaders (Civ5)